A blog post written for studentlifestart.com which unfortunately closed in April 2019.
You may know what you want to do, or you may not. Rebecca Hiscott’s career journey shows that sometimes knowing or not knowing doesn’t even matter. Find out how personal interests or passions can provide unexpected work opportunities when you don’t concentrate solely on what you think is your dream career path.
This LifeStartCareerChat took place at Jamie’s restaurant Fifteen. The night of the England World Cup semi-final, London was deserted as football fans watched with bated breath; yet committed LifeStarters still made it to Fifteen to enjoy the culinary delights and mentorship of Kickstarter’s Rebecca Hiscott.
Rebecca, currently the engagement editor for Kickstarter, is by trade a writer and editor. Studying English and Creative Writing at Concordia University and later a Journalism masters at NYU, her career path in many ways matches these academic interests. Working for well-known news outlets like Mashable and the Huffington Post, she has experienced the busy daily news cycle – that may not suit everyone!
What is interesting about Rebecca is that she has ended up writing neurological articles, despite having no formal training nor academic background. It was evident that the writing that she still invariably does for magazines like Brain&Life are her real passion. But how did she end up writing these articles with no background in it? Well it turns out that as Rebecca was growing up, she would be the one to help her father with his neurology writings.
Thus, her belief in keeping doors open. You never know what random things may pop up again in the future, so be open minded! What you might have heard about or learned from your parents might be of use much later in life too.
You may have a passion right now that in the future could open you to new opportunities and jobs that you’d never even thought of!
As the meal continued, LifeStart guests were interested to hear Rebecca’s opinions. One insightful discussion was on the importance of social media in today’s world. Many were interested in her experience of working for a large brand. Kickstarter, she said, was a happy medium as although the company is well known, the team in London only has 3 people working for it. This means that she can keep the flexibility and non-hierarchical structures that you often find in much smaller companies.
Of course, as many of the other freelance mentors noted, self-discipline around time management and work schedules can be difficult and it’s important to be strict with yourself. Rebecca likened her work here in London with Kickstarter to that of a freelancer, due to her often being alone in the office. Although she often finds it challenging to organise herself, she enjoys creating her own timetable.
All in all, the meal and conversation with Rebecca was a resounding success. With all participants leaving newly energised and enthusiastic about possibilities in the future.
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